The Who - The Ultimate Collection
	Released: 2002 Label: MCA & UTV Records Cat. No.: 088 112 877-2 Total Time: 62:52 / 65:45
	Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, July 2002 First and foremost, I must say may the good lord take care of John Entwistle, the late, great bassist for The Who that passed away just a few weeks ago, one day before opening night of their reunion concert tour. It's so sad, two of the greatest British rock groups, The Who and The Beatles now have two surviving members left. It's a hard dose of reality and it reminds us all of our mortality. What we do have and always will is all the great music that Ox helped to make. The Ultimate Collection is an authoritative Who set that gives a more than adequate overview of their career spanning from the 60s through the 80s. The Who were one of the first essential rock mods (slang for moderns) from the shores of Great Britain along with The Kinks and those wonderful mop tops. They were also the creators of one the first ever rock operas, Tommy. Peter Townshend was the musical genius behind a majority of their work, while Roger Daltry was the sexy bare-chested lead singer that made all the girls swoon. Keith Moon was the classic rock 'n' roll maniac, taking life to its very end at a very young age due to all the excesses that a music career can manifest. I remember watching Moonie play a maniacal drum solo on a set of clear drums with goldfish in them on the Ed Sullivan Show many years ago. The Ox, as he was lovingly referred to by many friends, was the stoic other half of the rhythm section, the complete opposite of his counterpart. The stories of the infighting and hotel destructions by the group are legendary, but once they got on stage or in the recording studio magic happened. Some of the greatest rock music ever recorded was the end result. Personalities may have clashed, but as a group they were unique. Something has to be said for their longevity and ongoing popularity despite all the problems and breakups. All compilations claim the status of being the quintessential collection of recorded works, if this isn't, it's damned close, and I don't know what else is. It's not as all encompassing as their career spanning boxed set, although it compacts most of their best work into two discs. Inevitably there are some of the favs missing, but that's what the boxed sets and other collections are good for, filling in those gaps. A lot of the most memorable Who music is found on Who's Next, with the unforgettable shot of the boys walking away after pissing all over a cement monument of some sort, each leaving their mark, just like a pack of dogs. I can picture Townshend doing his trademark windmill guitar gyrations playing "Won't Get Fooled Again" every time I hear it. "Eminence Front" (It's Hard, 1982) was always one of my favorite songs as well along with the irresistible "Squeeze Box" (By Numbers, 1975). And how can one forget Daltry singing "Who the fuck are you?" on "Who Are You" (Who Are You, 1978), it;s just classic rock at its very best. So if you are looking for a complete and "best of" set that does The Who justice, you are probably wondering if this is the ticket then aren't you? I have one thing to say..."You Better You Bet" it is. Long live rock, be it dead or alive. Rating: 5 [Some editions of this release come with a bonus disk that contains 4 tracks: "Substitute" (rare US single version), "I'm A Boy" (early version), "Happy Jack" (acoustic version, previously unreleased), and "Magic Bus" (UK single version). Only 150,000 of these editions were made. My anecdote to add to this review is twofold. Whilst shopping at local warehouse store, there were hundreds of copies of this CD on display; I remember wondering why for a few seconds -- that is, why such a big push -- and then I realized, "oh yeh, they're touring." The next day or so, we learned that Entwhistle had died. The second part of this anecdote is, the sticker affixed to the package included a mention on the order of "'Who Are You' as heard as the theme music for C.S.I." My thought, "The Who must be turning over at that," fully aware that, at the time, none of the current members were deceased. As I said, a day or two later... fortunately, C.S.I. is a good show to be associated with, and the music does, words alone, fit the theme. - wordy ed.] More about The Ultimate Collection : Track Listing: Disc One: I Can't Explain (2:05) / Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (2:41) / My Generation (3:19) / The Kids Are Alright (2:46) / A Legal Matter (2:48) / Substitute (3:48) / I'm A Boy (2:37) / Boris The Spider (2:28) / Happy Jack (2:11) / Pictures Of Lily (2:45) / I Can See for Miles (4:07) / Call Me Lightning (2:21) / Magic Bus (3:22) / Pinball Wizard (3:01) / I'm Free (2:40) / See Me, Feel Me (3:26) / The Seeker (3:12) / Summertime Blues [live] (3:25) / My Wife (3:35) / Baba O'Riley (5:00) / Bargain (5:35) Disc Two: Behind Blue Eyes (3:43) / Won't Get Fooled Again (8:32) / Let's See Action (3:59) / Pure and Easy (5:22) / Join Together (4:22) / Long Live Rock (3:54) / The Real Me (3:34) / 5'15 (4:50) / Love Reign O'er Me (5:51) / Squeeze Box (2:42) / Who Are You (6:21) / Sister Disco (4:21) / You Better You Bet (5:37) / Eminence Front (5:37) Musicians: Roger Daltrey - harmonica, vocals Pete Townshend - guitar, keyboards, vocals John Entwistle - bass, vocals Keith Moon - drums Kenny Jones - drums Contact:/P> Website: www.petetownshend.co.uk Note: will open new browser window Discography The Who Sings My Generation (1965/2002 (dlx)) A Quick One (Happy Jack) (1966) Happy Jack (1967) The Who Sell Out (1967) Magic Bus (1968) Live At Leeds (1970/1995/2001 (dlx)) Who's Next (1971) Tommy - As Performed By The London Symphony Orchestra (1972) Quadrophenia (1973) The Who By Numbers (1975) Who Are You (1978) The Kids Are Alright (live) (1979) Face Dances (1981/1997) It's Hard (1982/1997) Who's Last (live) (1984) Two's Missing (1987) Join Together (live) (1990) Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 (1996) The Ultimate Collection (2002) Live At The Royal Albert Hall (2003) plus lot of comps through the years including Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy (1971) Odds And Sods (1974) Tommy And Quadrophenia Live (2005) (DVD)
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